Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguin,
is, without a doubt, the best hockey player in the world. In just the last two seasons, he has won several
NHL awards: the Stanley Cup (2009 and 2016),
the Conn Smythe trophy (2009 and 2016), the World Cup of Hockey, the World Cup
of Hockey MVP, the Rocket Richard trophy, and back-to-back finishes as a Hart
trophy finalist. These achievements have
made him a prominent figure in the world of men’s ice hockey, but he’s not
finished just yet. After all, Sidney is
only twenty-nine years old and a mere twelve years into his career.
On Thursday May 25, 2017, Game 7 of the Eastern
Conference took place between the Pittsburgh Penguins, defending champions, and
the Ottawa Senators who are here for the first time in ten years to get into a
possible Stanley Cup final. Anybody in
the hockey world would think that Game 7’s outcome is a forgone
conclusion: the Pittsburgh Penguins will
win the right to advance to the Stanley Cup final by ousting the Ottawa
Senators. However, the Senators have
proven, time and again, that they are capable of rebounding after a disastrous
game and winning the next one. The
Senators don’t capitulate, they fight back with a game plan and hearty
resolve. The best example of that rebounding
happened in Game 6 after the Senators took a 0-7 beating from the Penguins in
Game 5. The Senators came back to win
Game 6 with a score of 2-1 over the Penguins.
Sidney knows these things. He was in exactly the same situation a year
ago: when the Penguins faced the Tampa
Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final where they went on to
win 2-1. And, two weeks ago, the Penguins
eliminated the Washington Capitals in Game 7 with a 2-1 victory. He
knows that it takes extensive experience in playoff hockey for a team to know
what is possible. That is, anything and
everything is possible at this time of year.
The game ain’t over until it’s over, and the series ain’t over until
it’s over. That is a fact.
Getting to the final for the fourth time in less
than ten years (he’s 2-1 so far following appearances in 2008, 2009, and 2016) would
be a remarkable feat on its own for the Cole Harbour, N.S. native and a rarity
in today’s parity-infested NHL. It would
be especially impressive given the Penguins’ injury woes, which sidelined No. 1
defender, Kris Letang, No. 1 goaltender, Matt Murray (until Round 3), as well
as a host of other key regulars, including top point-producing defenceman,
Justin Schultz. Not to mention Sidney’s
own ongoing concussion issues.
No team has reached the Cup final in consecutive
years since the Penguins (also led by Crosby) and the [Detroit] Red Wings in 2008
and 2009, but even more alluring for Crosby’s Penguins is the chance to become
the first repeat Cup winner in the salary cap era.
Even the Chicago Blackhawks, the marquee dynasty of
the current era with three Cup triumphs, haven’t won it twice in a row or even
reached the final in consecutive years.
A Detroit squad loaded with Hall of Famers was the
last out to accomplish the feat, sweeping foes in both 1997 and 1998.
Crosby would have at least the opportunity to add
that bullet to his resume if his Pens were to prevail in this Game 7 and then
somehow get by the Nashville Predators in the Cup final. He could also join Steve Yzerman and his
one-time mentor, Mario Lemieux, as the only players to captain consecutive Cup
winners since 1990. It’s been twenty-seven
years since it last happened.
If there was a right year for an NHL team to finally
repeat yet again, it might be this one, what with a weakened Eastern Conference
and no dominant team out west.
Victory in Game 7 also means Crosby gets to keep
adding to his playoff numbers that already stack up favourably with the
all-time greats. Crosby is tied for 25th
in NHL history with 156 career playoff points and he sits only four points from
matching a Gordie Howe-led trio of four for 20th spot. He’s tied for ninth all-time with 1.11 points
per game, sitting first among active players.
Crosby (19 points) trails only teammate Evgeni
Malkin (24 points) in playoff scoring this spring.
Malkin, with 153 career playoff points and 1.08
points per game, sits only a touch behind Crosby statistically in the
post-season, but almost without exception it’s Crosby who’s drawn (and
continues to draw) the opposition’s fiercest opponents, including Senators’ Erik
Karlsson presently, and P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm if the Pens prevail in
this Game 7 and face the Predators in the Cup final. So, standing just beyond Game 7 potentially
is another Cup and even another Conn Smythe trophy.
Crosby is 4-2 in his career in Game 7s with two
goals and two assists, though he has only a single assist in the last five such
games. That probably means little for
this Game 7 against the Sens, even less so given how forceful he’s grown over
the course of the series.
Crosby has piled up three goals, five points and 16
shots in the last four games and though he went pointless in last Tuesday’s 2-1
Game 6 loss, he still fired six shots at Craig Anderson, won 61 percent of his
28 draws and finished the night with a 68 percent puck possession mark.
As Mike Hoffman of the Ottawa Senators said (on
Twitter) about Game 7 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, “Anything can happen. We’re
going to go out there and play with everything we’ve got.” And, I’m sure that Sidney Crosby said the
same thing to his team just before Game 7 got started.
“He cares so much about this Penguins team and
trying to help his team win”, head coach (of the Pittsburgh Penguins) Mike
Sullivan said earlier in the series against Ottawa. “I just think that’s part of who he is, and
that’s what we love about him, is that he’s such a great team guy and he
understands the importance of his game to helping this team win.”
If I, myself, were asked to voice the hockey-loving
public’s collective opinion about Sidney, I’d say the same thing: “You’re absolutely right, Coach
Sullivan. Sidney is the best hockey player in the world and we love him just as much
as you do.”
copyright 2017 - Anne Shier
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